Body for use on motor vehicles



Jan. 15, 1924.

C. B. WARDMAN BODY FOR USE ON MOTOR VEHICLES Filed Jan 10, 1923 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 a A -l Jan. 15, 1924.

1,481,043 C. B. WARDMAN BODY FOR USE ON MOTOR VEHICLES Filed Jan. 10, 1923 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR CHAKLEiBJMAEQ/MAL. STEAM 61A 1 ATTORNEY Jan. 15, 1924.

c. B. WARDMAN BODY FOR USE ON MOTOR VEHICLES 1 s Sheets-Sheet a Fileq Jan. 10, 1923 ni lhu. llluh Patented Jan. 15, 1924.

UNETEE STATES CHARLES BENSON WABDMAN, OF SOUTHPOBT, ENGLAND.

BODY FOR- USE ON MOTOR VEHICLES.

Application filed January 10, 1923.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES BENSON lVAnn- MAN, a subject of the King of England, residing at Southport, in the county of Lancaster, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bodies for Use on Motor Vehicles, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to. bodies for use on motor vehicles, and it has for its object to provide an improved all-weather body, i. e., a body which can be completely open or fully closed at will. The invention mainly applies to long bodies having two or more rows of seats, though it. maybe applied to short two-seated bodies. Its chief advantages over existing constructions are that the rear quarter is not collapsible and therefore presents a better appearance when up, all parts are concealed when the body is.

open, and all parts are carried on the vehicle, so that a change from closed to open can be effected on the road in a few minutes.

According to this invention, the top of the body comprises a rear quarter (which is not collapsible) pivoted to the sides of the vehicle and adapted to turn out ofsight into a recess in the back of the body, canopy rails (preferably in sections) detachably secured to the rear quarter and extending forward to the windscreen pillars, a roll-up canopy carried by the rear quarter and adapted to be secured to the canopy rails, and windows fitting between the rails and the sides of the.

body. Where the body is of such a length as to require it, there may be one or more intermediate supports for the canopy, comprising a transverse hood stick and telescopic supports therefor carried by the sides of the body.

It is not novel in itself to employ a rear quarter which is not collapsible and is pivoted to the sides of the body and adapted to turn about the pivots so that the quarter can drop into a recess in the back of the body,

as this has previously been suggested for use on two-seated bodies. Preferably in thepresent invention the pivotal attachment is movable one which permits the rear quarter, when turned upwards out of the recess, to be drawn bodily backwards slightly in order to rest upon the rear'edge of the recess constituted by the body rail. Thus a Serial No. 611,734.

watertight joint can be obtained which has not hitherto been. effected in this manner Figure 8 is a fragmentary sectional view at the pivotal connection of the rear quarter V Figure 4 shows a fragmentary cross sec tion through the rear joint of the rearquarter with the body, c

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the joint of the canopy rails with the rear quarter, and

Figure 6 is a fragmentary side view-showing an alternative form of pivotal attach-'1 ment for the rear quarter: I I v The body of the vehicle is'indicated at A,

the rigid rear canopy at 1B,.andthe roll-up canopy at C. i r

A substantial space A constituting the recess for the non-collapsible canopy B is left behind and beside the rear seats A, and between them and thefirear panels of the body. At the sides the upper edges of the recess terminate n a pair of walls A pref erably constituted by wooden or metal side pieces, which are firmly secured at their rear edges to "the sides of the recess." A swivelor hinge A is fitted towards the rear edge and the front edges are not rigidly secured'thereto so that these side piecescan be deformed slightly in order to grip the I sides and the rear quarter. This, with the aid of rubber packing strips A, effects .a

watertight joint, when the rear quarter is raised. A small spri ngA at the front edge of the side piece A (see Figure 3)] is ar ranged so as to press. the side piece away from the rear quarter during the operation of raising or lowering the rear quarter,

thereby preventing same being scratched.

The rear quarter B is of suitable shape in side elevation, preferably approximating.

to'a segment of a circle, and at or nearv the point constituted by the centre of that circle at each side is mounted 'a laterally projecting stud or screwed pin B which passes through slots A in the side pieces A*. Each stud carries a Wing nut B and the slotsare arrranged approximately horizontally, the studs constituting the pivots about which the rear quarter isipivoted.

Normally the rear quarter lies out of sight in the recess A When the-wing nuts 3* have been slackened the rear quarter can be turned about the screwed pins B so that the edgewhich was horizontal becomes vertical, thencdrawing the. rear quarter backwards slightly, the frame B forming its lower, edge fits over the rear body railA and can rest thereupon, being located by dowels or the like and the joint ,ma-de weatherproof byatong'ue B on the rear quarter entering a groove formed between the mouldingA and the part :of the rail A l along the back of the body.- The wing nuts are then tightened up and the rear quarter is substantially held, and as the side pieces A grip the lower edgesof the reanquarter a weathertight joint is obtained there also, and may be assisted by the use of suitable packing strips where necessary. v

The rear quarter may have lightsin the sides and back, andmay be metal panelled, or of leather with suitable supporting strips, or may be of metal panels covered with leather.

To the front edge of the rear quarter there is attached at each side a forwardly project-- ing rail D constituting thecanopy rail. The rear end D of each rail is preferably formed with a pair of dovetails D adapted toengage sockets B in the frameB formingthefront edge, of the rear, quarter, and the rail also carries a rearwardly projecting stud D which passes througha holeB in the front frame of therear quarter and receives a wing nut or the like which may be locked by a locking tongue D pivoted to the stud. These rails may be in two or more sectionssuitably joined or hingedtogether, and they extend forward to the windscreen E WlIGI'B they may beconnected together by a transverse front, rail D". At the front ends the rails may be secured to screwed stems projecting up from each windscreen pillar and receiving wing nuts locked by pivoted locking tongues in a manner corresponding to their attachment to the rear quarter.

lVhen not in use these canopy rails I) may be stowed away in any convenient part of the vehicle, as, for example, in compartments located at each side of the frame and behind the step valance A which is hinged to permit access to the. compartment.

The front edge of the rear quarter has attached to it the canopy C which is normally rolled up and kept so by a strap. After the rails D have been put in position the canopy is unrolled forwardly and secured, as by turn buttons or the like, to the canopy rails If required, there. may be fitted a transverse tubular hook stick or bow C the ends C of which engage supports carried by the body which'are preferably constituted by telescopic sticks A which collapse and are out of sight when not required.

Between the top of the body and the rails Dare windows F, F F F which ma r slide vertically in the bodywork in the Well known manner, or they may be completely detachable, being normally stowed in a case A behind the front seats A. Thesewindows may be fitted into felt lined channels A and D in the body rails and canopy rails respectively, and one or more of the windows may slide sideways in the well known manner.

It is preferred that the windows F and F over the doors A l, A 7, should slide alongside the fixed windows F F arranged to thev of the door channel may be omitted for part of its length, as shown at A Figure 2.

As an alternative to allowing the studs B which constitute the pivots for the rear quarter B'to slide in slots as at A fthese studs maybe carried by pivoted links G, (Figure 6), attached to the body at G the travel of which links is limited according to requirements.

By this means all the parts can be carried on the vehicle and the complete top with windows can be fitted or removed in a few minutes, and all parts are out of sight when the body is completely open.

That I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 1. In a body for a motor Vehicle, the combination of a non-collapsible rear quarter pivoted to the sides of said body and adapted to be swung into a recess in the back thereof, windscreen pillars at the front of said body, canopy rails formed in sections collapsibly' connected together and extending forwardly to said windscreen pillars, a transverse rail uniting the forward parts of said canopy rails, a roll-up canopy also carried by said rear quarter, a detachably mounted bow supporting said canopy'when extended, telescopically jointed bow sticks carried by said body to support said bow, and windows fitting between said canopy rails and the sides of said body, substantially as set forth.

pillars, a roll-up canopy also carried by said tion with the body, substantially as set rear quarter, doors provided in the sides of forth.

said body, rails along the edges of said body In testimony whereof I have signed my and said doors, grooves formed in said canopy name to this specification in the presence of n 5 rails and in said body and door rails, wintwo subscribing witnesses.

dows engaging said grooves and adapted to slide horizontally therein, and a gap in the CHARLES BENSON WARDMAN' wall of said grooves in said door rails, to Witnesses: permit of opening said door if a partially WILLIAM PIERCE,

l withdrawn window extends across its jnnc- JAB. C. MORAE. 

